The men's K-4 500 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 6 and 7 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway.

[2] This was the debut appearance of the event, replacing the 1000 metres men's K-4 race that was held from 1964 to 2016.

A total of 10 qualification places were available, all awarded through the 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships.

[2] The World Championships places were allocated as follows:[4] Sprint canoeing uses a three-round format for events with 10 boats, with heats, semifinals, and finals.

The specifics of the progression format depend on the number of boats ultimately entered.